Kansas Counties

Kansas Counties Map

Kansas Counties Map

Kansas has 105 counties, the fifth-highest total of any state. Many counties in the eastern part of the state are named after prominent Americans from the late 18th and early to mid-19th centuries, while those in the central and western parts of the state are named after figures in the Civil War. Several counties are named for Native American tribes. The population of Kansas counties varies widely, with the smallest population in Greeley County, with about 1,300 residents, and Johnson County, part of the Kansas City Metropolitan area, boasting over 600,000.

County County Seat  Established Origin
Allen Iola 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Anderson Garnett 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Atchison Atchison 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Barber Medicine Lodge 1867 From unorganized area.
Barton Great Bend 1867 From unorganized area.
Bourbon Fort Scott 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Brown Hiawatha 1855 One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Browne County).
Butler El Dorado 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Chase Cottonwood Falls 1859 Formed from Butler and Morris Counties.
Chautauqua Sedan 1875 Formed from Howard County.
Cherokee Columbus 1855 One of the original 36 counties (Formerly McGee County).
Cheyenne St. Francis 1873 From unorganized area.
Clark Ashland 1885 Formed from Ford County.
Clay Clay Center 1857 From unorganized area.
Cloud Concordia 1866 Formed from Washington County (Formerly Shirley County).
Coffey Burlington 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Comanche Coldwater 1867 From unorganized area.
Cowley Winfield 1867 Formed from Butler County.
Crawford Girard 1867 Formed from Bourbon and Cherokee Counties.
Decatur Oberlin 1873 From unorganized area.
Dickinson Abilene 1857 From unorganized area.
Doniphan Troy 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Douglas Lawrence 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Edwards Kinsley 1874 Formed from Kiowa County.
Elk Howard 1875 Formed from Howard County.
Ellis Hays 1867 From unorganized area.
Ellsworth Ellsworth 1867 From unorganized area.
Finney Garden City 1883 Formed from Arapahoe, Grant, Kearny, and Sequoyah Counties.
Ford Dodge City 1867 From unorganized area.
Franklin Ottawa 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Geary Junction City 1855 One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Davis County).
Gove Gove 1868 From unorganized area.
Graham Hill City 1867 From unorganized area.
Grant Ulysses 1887 Formed from Finney and Hamilton Counties in 1887.
Gray Cimarron 1887 Formed from Finney and Ford Counties.
Greeley Tribune 1873 From unorganized area.
Greenwood Eureka 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Hamilton Syracuse 1873 From unorganized area.
Harper Anthony 1867 From unorganized area.
Harvey Newton 1872 Formed from McPherson, Sedgwick, and Marion Counties.
Haskell Sublette 1887 Formed from Finney and Ford Counties.
Hodgeman Jetmore 1867 From unorganized area.
Jackson Holton 1855 One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Calhoun County).
Jefferson Oskaloosa 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Jewell Mankato 1867 From unorganized area.
Johnson Olathe 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Kearny Lakin 1887 Formed from Finney and Hamilton Counties.
Kingman Kingman 1872 Formed from Harper and Reno Counties.
Kiowa Greensburg 1886 Formed from Comanche and Edwards Counties.
Labette Oswego 1867 Formed from Neosho County.
Lane Dighton 1886 From unorganized area.
Leavenworth Leavenworth 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Lincoln Lincoln 1867 From unorganized area.
Linn Mound City 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Logan Oakley 1888 Formed from Wallace County (Formerly named St. John County).
Lyon Emporia 1855 One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Breckenridge County).
Marion Marion 1860 From unorganized area.
Marshall Marysville 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
McPherson McPherson 1867 From unorganized area.
Meade Meade 1885 Formed from Finney, Ford, and Seward Counties.
Miami Paola 1855 One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Lykins).
Mitchell Beloit 1867 From unorganized area.
Montgomery Independence 1867 Formed from Wilson County.
Morris Council Grove 1855 One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Wise County).
Morton Elkhart 1886 Formed from Seward County.
Nemaha Seneca 1855 One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Dorn County).
Neosho Erie 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Ness Ness City 1867 From unorganized area.
Norton Norton 1867 From unorganized area (Formerly Billings County).
Osage Lyndon 1855 One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Weller County).
Osborne Osborne 1867 From unorganized area.
Ottawa Minneapolis 1860 From unorganized area.
Pawnee Larned 1867 From unorganized area.
Phillips Phillipsburg 1867 From unorganized area.
Pottawatomie Westmoreland 1857 Formed from Calhoun and Riley Counties.
Pratt Pratt 1867 From unorganized area.
Rawlins Atwood 1873 From unorganized area.
Reno Hutchinson 1867 From unorganized area.
Republic Belleville 1868 Formed from Washington County.
Rice Lyons 1867 From unorganized area.
Riley Manhattan 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Rooks Stockton 1867 From unorganized area.
Rush La Crosse 1867 From unorganized area.
Russell Russell 1867 From unorganized area.
Saline Salina 1860 From unorganized area.
Scott Scott City 1873 From unorganized area.
Sedgwick Wichita 1867 Formed from Butler County.
Seward Liberal 1873 From unorganized area.
Shawnee Topeka 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Sheridan Hoxie 1873 From unorganized area.
Sherman Goodland 1873 From unorganized area.
Smith Smith Center 1867 From unorganized area.
Stafford St. John 1867 From unorganized area.
Stanton Johnson 1887 Formed from Hamilton County.
Stevens Hugoton 1886 Formed from Seward County.
Sumner Wellington 1867 Formed from Butler and Marion Counties.
Thomas Colby 1873 From unorganized area.
Trego WaKeeney 1867 From unorganized area.
Wabaunsee Alma 1855 One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Richardson County).
Wallace Sharon Springs 1868 From unorganized area.
Washington Washington 1857 From unorganized area.
Wichita Leoti 1873 From unorganized area.
Wilson Fredonia 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Woodson Yates Center 1855 One of the original 36 counties.
Wyandotte Kansas City 1859 Formed from Leavenworth and Johnson Counties.
Extinct Counties
Arapahoe Neither of the two Arapahoe Counties were organized. 1855 and 1873 The Kansas Territorial Legislature created Arapahoe County in 1855, named for the Arapaho tribe. It was situated immediately south of Sequoyah County and was 24 miles square, containing 576 square miles. It was attached to Marshall County for all business purposes. Arapahoe County was never organized. In early 1859, it was split into six counties — Arapahoe, Broderick, El Paso, Fremont, Montana, and Oro. When Colorado Territory was established in February 1861, these counties were absorbed into the new state.

In 1873, a second county of Arapahoe was created in the southwestern part of the state out of unorganized territory. Its population in 1880 was about ten inhabitants. This county contained no streams except the Cimarron River across the extreme southwest corner. There was no post office, and the nearest railway station was Pierceville in Sequoyah County. No farming was done, and the county was considered suitable for grazing only during the early part of the summer.

In 1883, Arapahoe County disappeared. Its territory was included in Finney County, and in 1887, Haskell County was created from that part of Finney County.

Billings None 1873 Billings County lasted less than one year and operated as an organized county because Norton County was organized in August 1872. Billings did not have a county seat during its period of existence. The town of Norton was elected the county seat in 1874, following the reinstatement of the name of Norton County in February 1874.
Breckenridge 1855 The Kansas Territorial Legislature organized Breckinridge County in 1855, attaching it to Madison County for civil, criminal, and military purposes. It was named for John C. Breckinridge, a United States senator from Kentucky. In 1861, Madison County was abolished, and its northern part was given to Breckinridge County. The county was renamed Lyon County in February 1862 due to Breckinridge’s Confederate sympathies.
Buffalo Never organized 1879 It was bounded on the north by Lane County, east by Ness and Hodgeman, south by Foote, and west by Sequoyah and Scott Counties. In 1881, the northern tier of townships was taken from Buffalo County and added to Lane County, the remainder being made a part of a new county called Gray, which was later taken to form Finney County.
Calhoun Holton 1855 The Kansas Territorial Legislature organized Calhoun County in August 1855 and named it for John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. The county then embraced the southern part of present-day Jackson County and that part of Shawnee County lying north of the Kansas River. In 1857, the legislature added the northern part of Jackson County. The county was organized in 1857. An election to determine the location of the county seat was held in October 1858, and Holton received a majority of votes. A few days later, the county’s name was changed to Jackson.
Davis Junction City 1855 The Kansas Territorial Legislature organized Calhoun County in August 1855 and named it for Jefferson Davis. It lost territory to Dickinson County in 1857 and Wabaunsee County in 1860; it gained territory from Dickinson in 1860 and Riley in 1873. The county’s name was changed to Geary in March 1889 because Jefferson Davis served as the Confederate States’ President.
Dorn None 1855 The Kansas Territorial Legislature organized Calhoun County in August 1855. It was named in honor of either Earl Van Dorn, an army officer during the Mexican-American War and Indian campaigns, or, more likely, Andrew Jackson Dorn, also a Mexican-American War veteran and Indian agent for the Osage, Quapaw, and Seneca and Shawnee at the Neosho Agency from 1853 to 1861. Both men joined the Confederate Army in 1861, and the county was renamed Neosho. The county was never organized and was divided in June 1861 into the present counties of Neosho and Labette.
Foote Changed to Gray County. 1879 Named in honor of Andrew Hull Foote, a United States naval officer during the Civil War. The boundaries embraced the present Gray County except the southern tier of Congressional Township. In 1881, the county was attached to Ford County for judicial purposes, and another act of the same session changed the name to Gray.
Garfield Ravanna and Eminence 1887 Most of the area was in Buffalo County, which was never organized. The rest came from six congressional townships from Finney County and six from Hodgeman County.
Godfrey/Seward/Howard None 1855 The Kansas Territorial Legislature organized Calhoun County in August 1855. In the original act, the name is spelled “Godfroy.” It was named for “Bill” Godfrey, a noted trader among the Osage Indians. It was attached to Allen County for civil and military purposes and was never organized. The name was changed to Seward County in June 1861 in honor of William H. Seward and changed again to Howard County in 1867. In 1875, it was divided into the present counties of Elk and Chautauqua.
Hunter None 1855 The Kansas Territorial Legislature organized Hunter County in August 1855. In 1857, the county was enlarged; in 1860, Irving County was created out of the northern part of Hunter, and in 1864, Butler County was enlarged to include both Irving and Hunter, which disappeared. The more significant portion of what was once the county of Hunter is now included in Cowley County.
Kansas None 1873 Named in memory of the Kanza Indians, it was located in the southwest corner of Kansas. In 1883, Kansas County disappeared, with Seward County taking its place. Morton County was constructed out of Seward County in 1886, once within Kansas County’s original boundaries.
Lykins None 1855 The Kansas Territorial Legislature organized Lykins County in August 1855. It was named in honor of David Lykins, one of the county’s early settlers and a member of the territorial council. The county’s name was changed to Miami for the Miami Indians in 1861.
Madison None 1855 The Kansas Territorial Legislature organized Madison County in August 1855. In 1861, the territory embraced by the county was divided between Breckenridge (later Lyon) and Greenwood Counties, and Madison County disappeared.
McGee None 1855 The Kansas Territorial Legislature organized McGee County in August 1855. It was named in honor of Mabillon W. McGee, a Kansas House of Representatives member in 1855. The county was attached to Bourbon County for all civil and military purposes. In 1860, the name of the county was changed to Cherokee.
Otoe None 1860 Otoe County was established in February 1860 and named for the Oto Indian tribe. On February 24, 1864, the boundaries of Butler County were enlarged to include Otoe County. Most of the territory once comprising Otoe is included in the present Butler County, with the remainder in the eastern parts of Harvey and Sedgwick Counties.
Peketon Beach Valley 1860 Peketon County was established in February 1860. The county was never organized due to its low population, and its territory became a part of Marion County in February 1867.
Richardson None 1855 The Kansas Territorial Legislature organized McGee County in August 1855. The territory was made a part of Wabaunsee County in 1859.
St. John None 1881 Named for John P. St. John, then governor of the state, it was created in 1881. The name was changed to Logan by an act of the legislature, approved in February 1887.
Sequoyah Garden City 1873 Sequoyah County was created in 1873 by the Kansas Legislature and was attached to Ford County as a township for judicial purposes. The county was 864 square miles in area, being 24 miles from east to west and 36 miles from north to south. It was named for Sequoyah, the Cherokee Indian who invented the written language of his tribe. This was a treeless region. The Arkansas River ran south of the central portion of the county, mainly in a southeasterly direction. Sandhills are in the county’s northeast corner and toward the southeastern part. T. A. Carlon, J. R. Fulton, W. D. Fulton, C. J. Jones and John Stevens were the first settlers, located here in the county in 1878 and in 1879. The points in the county are the following railroad stations: Pierceville, Garden City, and Sherlock (Holcomb.) The territory within these boundaries now constitutes the western two-thirds of Finney County, formed in 1883.
Shirley None 1860 Shirley County was established in 1860. Its name changed to Cloud County in 1867.
Weller None 1855 The Kansas Territorial Legislature organized Weller County in August 1855. The name changed to Osage County in  1859 when the county was organized.
Wise None 1855 The Kansas Territorial Legislature organized Wise County in August 1855. It was named for Henry A. Wise, governor of Virginia, during the John Brown seizure of Harper’s Ferry. The name changed to Morris County in 1859.

Kansas Facts - Counties

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, updated February 2024.

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Sources:

Blackmar, Frank W.; Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Vol I; Standard Publishing Company, Chicago, IL 1912.
Cutler, William G; History of Kansas; A. T. Andreas, Chicago, IL, 1883.
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